Part 525

WAIT. To lie in wait; to lay wait. See AMBUSH.

WALL. A series of brick, stone, or other materials carried upwards and cemented with mortar. When used in the plural number, wall signifies fortification; works built for defence.

To be driven to the WALL, (Etre acculé, Fr.) A figurative term signifying to be so pressed, that you can neither advance nor retreat.

WALLS of a Tent or Marquee. That part of the canvas which is attached to the fly or top by means of hooks and eyes, and which is fixed to the earth with wooden pegs. These walls should be frequently lowered in order to admit fresh air. When there is an hospital tent, this precaution is indispensible, if the weather will permit.

WALLET. See HAVERSACK, KNAPSACK.

WALLOON, Spanish troops from the Netherlands.

WAPENTAKE, (from the Saxon.) The same as what we call a hundred, and more especially used in the northern counties of England beyond the Trent. There have been several conjectures as to the original of the word; one of which is, that anciently musters were made of the armor and weapons of the inhabitants of every hundred; and from those that could not find sufficient pledges of their good abeating, their weapons were taken away; whence it is said Wapentake is derived. Spenser says it was so named, of touching the weapon or spear of their alderman, and swearing to follow him faithfully, and serve their prince truly.

WAR. A contest or difference between princes, states, or large bodies of people, which, not being determinable by the ordinary measures of justice and equity, is referred to the decision of the sword, &c.

It is that important event, for which all military education is designed to prepare the soldier. It is for this that in peace, he receives the indulgence of a subsistence from society; and for this he is gratefully bound to secure the repose of that society from the outrage of an enemy and to guard its possessions from the devastations of invaders.

It would be needless as impossible to show, how often the art of war has accomplished the design of its institution; we shall, however, distinguish those English wars which are remarkable in history.

War with Scotland, 1068. Peace with{ditto, 1113. {France, 1113. War with France, 1116. Peace with{ditto, 1118. {Scotland, 1139. War with France, 1161. Peace with ditto, 1186. War again with France, 1194. Peace with ditto, 1195. {renewed, 1215. {ended, 1216. {with France, 1224. Civil war{ended, 1243. {1262. {ended, 1267. {with France, 1294. {with Scotland, 1296. Peace{with France, 1299. {with Scotland, 1323. {again with Scotland, 1327. War{ended, 1328. {again with Scotland, 1333. {with France, 1339. Peace with France, May 8, 1360. {with France, 1368. War{civil, 1400. {with Scotland, 1400. Peace with France, May 31, 1420. {with France, 1422. War{civil between York and Lancaster, {1452. Peace with France, Oct. 1741. War{civil, 1486. {with France, Oct. 6, 1492. Peace{with ditto, Nov. 3, 1492. {with Scotland, 1502. War{with France, Feb. 4, 1512. {with Scotland, 1513. Peace with France, Aug. 7, 1514. War with{ditto, 1522. {Scotland, 1522. Peace with{France, 1527. {Scotland, 1542. War with Scotland, directly after. Peace with France and Scotland, June 7, 1546. War with{Scotland, 1547. {France, 1549. Peace with both, March 6, 1550. {civil, 1553. War{with France, June 7, 1557. {with Scotland, 1557. Peace with{France, April 2, 1559. {Scotland, 1560. War }with France{1562. Peace} {1564. War with{Scotland, 1570. {Spain, 1588. Peace with ditto, Aug. 18, 1604. War with{Spain, 1624. {France, 1627. Peace with Spain and France, April 14, 1629. War{civil, 1642. {with the Dutch, 1651. Peace with ditto, April 5, 1654. War with Spain, 1655. Peace with Spain, Sept. 10, 1660. War with{France, Jan. 26, 1666. {Denmark, Oct. 19, 1666. Peace with the French, Danes, and Dutch, Aug. 24, 1667. Peace with Spain, Feb. 13, 1668. War with the Algerines, Sept. 6, 1669. Peace with ditto, Nov. 19, 1671. War with the Dutch, March, 1672. Peace with ditto, Feb. 28, 1674. War with France, May 7, 1689. Peace general, Sept. 20, 1697. War with France, May 4, 1702. Peace of Utrecht, March 13, 1713. War with Spain, Dec. 1718. Peace with ditto, 1721. War with{Spain, 1739. {France, March 31, 1744. War with{France, 1756. {Spain, Jan. 4, 1762. Peace with France and Spain, Feb. 10, 1763. War with the caribbs of St. Vincent in 1773. War against America, commenced July 14, 1774. {with France, Feb. 6, 1778. War{with Spain, April 17, 1780. {with Holland, 1780. Peace with America,} France, } Sept. 3, 1783. Spain, } Holland,}

War against France by the English, Prussians, Austrians, and other German powers, in 1793, called the first coalition.

Peace between Prussia and the French Republic, 1795.

Peace between Spain and the French Republic, 1795.

Peace between the French and the Sardinians in 1796.

Peace between the French and the Austrians in 1797.

War between the British and Tippoo Saib in India, in 1797.

War against the French or the second coalition of the Austrians, Russians, Neapolitans, &c. 1798.

War with the Turks, and the invasion of Egypt, in 1798.

Peace between the French and the Russians in 1799.

Peace between the French and Austrians in 1800.

Preliminaries of peace commenced between the French and the Ottoman empire in consequence of the reduction of Egypt by the British forces in 1801.

Preliminaries of peace between France and Great Britain, &c. called the peace of Amiens, 1801.

War renewed against France in 1804 by England.

War renewed by Austria in 1805.

War by Prussia in 1806.

War renewed by Austria in April 1809. See Historical Dictionary of wars, battles, sieges, by the American editor of this work.

There are five different kinds of war, each of which is to be conducted differently the one from the other, viz. the offensive; the defensive; that between equal powers; the auxiliary, which is carried on out of our own territories to succor a state or ally, or to assist a weaker whom a more powerful nation has attacked; and a civil war.